I received this as an e-galley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way swayed my opinion. Pinky swear!

Upon finding out her boyfriend has a secret online girlfriend (a girl whose avatar name is BUBBLEYUM), Mallory declares she’s completely swearing off guys and modern technology as a way to get over Jeremy, avoid the rumors flying at school and make her life less complicated. Her inspiration for “going vintage”? A list of goals she finds in some of her grandmother’s belongings from 1962 when she was in high school. The list includes things like run for pep club (there isn’t even one!), sew a homecoming dress (she doesn’t sew!) and do something dangerous. Making her life less simple ends up being a whole lot more complicated than she realized while she’s running around to start a pep club that Jeremy’s (cute) cousin joins, avoiding Jeremy and learning how to live in the 21st century without her cell phone, internet or the other modern conveniences she’s used to.

This is my latest “work-out” read (I like to workout and read — helps me not think about the pain) and it was just perfect to read while on the treadmill as it was an easy story to get into right from the start. Going Vintage was light and fun and absolutely adorable! It’s the kind of read that is easy to breeze through and is perfect when you are looking for something that isn’t depressing or dark or issue-y. Going Vintage was a happy-making book that dealt genuinely with typical high school experiences and family matters as we watch Mallory struggle through her list and with her new de-modernized life (seriously she says goodbye to all things that didn’t exist in 1962)!

I loved Mallory and watching her learn more about herself through this experiment. She’s your average girl with your typical problems and, while I can’t say she was one of those characters I was like HEY BESTIE, I liked her and found her easy to identify with and relate to. It was just really fun to watch her realize who she was apart from Jeremy (which is SO hard to do when you end a relationship) and stumble and triumph through this list and the breakup. It was the kind of growth I really enjoyed reading. Don’t get me wrong, I love TOUGH issues that shape people but I also really enjoy stories of people who grow and change without all that kind of stuff. I loved watching her maneuver through school with rumors and remember that she HAD friends before Jeremy, stretching herself to try new things and learning what to do with her time now that it doesn’t consist of everything Jeremy. So easy to relate to! Where do you sit? Who can you still talk to? How do you tell your parents? I loved see the light bulb click on that perhaps she didn’t think everything through but I love the way she keeps challenging herself even knowing that perhaps the grass isn’t always greener or that the technology isn’t the reason everything went wrong. I loved watching her learn to enjoy LIFE and new experiences.

Bonus points: YAY for family involvement in the story — sister, grandma and parents (involved in that OMG-MY-PARENTS-ARE-ANNOYING kind of way). They have their problems for sure but it was nice to see a family, who had their own problems and quirks, but were THERE and a positive force.

The only tiny thing I’ll say was that there were a lot of different pieces of this plot outside of the breakup and the list — a storyline with her grandmother, things happening with her parents, NEW boys in the picture. Sometimes some of those pieces felt choppy and not as well fleshed out. I’ll also say that I wish some of the characters were more memorable to me — some were really well written and others just felt more flat for me. PS. I LOVE MALLORY’S GRANDMOTHER THE MOST AND WANTED MORE OF HER!

All in all, Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt was a cute book with a ridiculously fun plot that is easy to get into and was a great story of finding out who YOU are outside of a relationship (a lesson even a married lady like me needs to remember from time to time) among a few other things. It was pretty light, sweet and generally a bit predictable (in some areas and not in a bad way — like how I think of those Disney Channel original movies I used to love — Double Teamed and Cadet Kelly FTW) and I really enjoyed it. I can’t say it is a book that changed my life or blew my mind but I really, really enjoyed it and it was such a fun and refreshing read in the midst of darker or more intense stuff I’ve been reading! If you are looking for a lighter read that is funny, different and so easy to relate to — this is a great one! Weighs in high on the fun scale!

For fans of: lighter reads, a contemporary YA read that is cute and fun and don’t delve into heavy stuff, a romp through high school, great character growth, books without invisible parents or family, sweet romances

Let’s Talk: Have you read this one?? Heard of it? If you’ve read it, did you enjoy it? Who was your favorite character? Did it make you think about all the technology that you rely on because I sure kept thinking about how I could never do it! But it made me honestly want to go on a social media/tv/electronic diet a bit and remember that life happens outside these screens!